PSI Bulletin: December 2023
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR SUBSCRIBERS
No. 12/23 SUBSCRIBER EDITION: please go to potatostorageinsight.com/subscribe to sign up as a Synopsis subscriber. Most of our bulletins are fully accessible only to our subscribers.
Welcome to our December subscribers' edition of Synopsis, PSI's latest update on potato storage news and technical developments.
It's been a busy few weeks recently with Harrogate and CUPGRA Conference, of which more below, and a hugely challenging period for anyone still with crop to lift. The rain has failed to relent so that has put a stop to many but not all attempts to complete harvest. There remain some significant areas still to lift and they are in the lap of the gods as to when that might be possible...
Those crops that have been in store for a while are starting to show signs of growth, even after successful MH treatments, so what was a steady start to the fogging season is now showing signs of gaining momentum. Our Best Practice summary this month focuses on getting the timing right for that first dose of suppressant.
Given some of the difficulties some have experienced with wet crops this year, but also knowing some other subscribers have been giving it a go, I have revisited the use of condenser dryers. It's in our monthly Technical Insight feature as I feel the topic might be a topical one for some members of our readership as we head into 2024.
This edition also sees a few additional updates on recently-announced activities with everything from the newly-launched Store Managers' Course to the recent, inaugural SPot storage project meeting in Wisbech. Please read on...
Finally, PSI would like to wish all our subscribers a Merry Christmas and a Happy & Prosperous 2024.
POTATO STORAGE INSIGHT (PSI) ACTIVITY
New 2024 Store Managers' Course details released
Harrogate, of which more below, was the venue for us to release full details of our 2024 Potato Store Managers' Course.
This is a participative course for growers and store managers who are involved in the day-to-day management of potato stores. The course follows a tried and tested format and will include talks, group discussions and practical interactive sessions, focusing on all aspects of potato storage. There will be opportunity for delegates to raise specific concerns and for these to be addressed during the course on a 1:1 or group basis. Delegate numbers are limited to 20*, so early application is recommended. There is a lower, early-bird rate available on all bookings received before 8 January.
New for the 2024 course is the option for course participants to take the BASIS Certificate in Crop Protection (Stored Potatoes) examination at extra cost. This can be booked at the outset or may be added immediately after completion of the course. Details are available at https://basis-reg.co.uk/documents/syllabuses/10920.pdf. The examination will take place on Tuesday 26 March 2024 at Bishop Burton College, York Road, Beverley, East Yorkshire HU17 8QG.
All the details for the course and the booking rates/deadlines are available on the PSI website at
PSI Store Managers' Course 2024 now booking! (potatostorageinsight.com). Thanks to those who have already booked - we will be in touch again in the New Year.
BP2023, Harrogate
Thank you to everyone who stopped by to visit us on our stand at BP2023 last month. We had a busy two days made even more so by the need to speak/chair at the (very well attended) storage seminar session on the Wednesday morning, which was right in the middle of one of the busiest periods of the Show! My thanks to my better half, Caroline, for holding the PSI fort while I went off to speak...
Our lucky dip draw appeared to go down well with a variety of prizes being secured by visitors from far and wide. Some of you will be reading this by virtue of securing a free subscription to Synopsis and I hope you enjoy you monthly 'shot' of storage news.
Well done to James Harrison (pictured, right) who picked out the no. 50 ball to secure first prize of a store audit for his business in north east Norfolk. I'll be heading over that way in a few weeks' time, armed with my thermal image camera.
SPot storage initiative progress
Work continues on the SPoT storage initiative launched earlier in the autumn and this took the form most recently of a technical workshop at the Rugby Club in Wisbech, Cambs. About 50 attendees came along to hear speakers Mark Taylor of GB Potatoes, Simon Faulkner (SDF Agriculture), PSI's Adrian Cunnington and Roger Stones of NFU Energy give a varied summary of the work being done at the two sites that form part of the project and some details of how growers can change their storage for the better, be that lower running costs, improved control or quality - or all of those!
The project has continued to attract commercial partners and currently has commitments from GB Potatoes, Biofresh/Safestore, Certis Belchim, Cornerstone Systems, Crop Systems, Hutchinsons, NFU Energy, Potato Storage Treatments, PQC, Potato Storage Insight, Restrain, SDF Agriculture, S&S Pugh and Winters Lane Storage.
34th Annual CUPGRA Conference
Thanks to the teams at CUPGRA and NIAB for another very enjoyable conference held recently at Robinson College. Speakers from UK and international organisations took the stage to tackle the theme of 'Looking forward to disruptive solutions', culminating in an excellent address on food security by population biologist Professor Sir Charles Godfray from Oxford University.
It was good to see some new, young researchers being given chances to present on the main platform and in the workshop sessions.
Congratulations to Mark Stalham of MSPC who was awarded the John Green Award at the conference dinner for his outstanding contribution to applied potato research.
National Potato Industry Awards
The BP2023 gathering at Harrogate was also an excellent chance for another running of the National Potato Industry Awards, now operated under the banner of Potato Review magazine.
For a time and occasion when there have always been lots of others in the queue ahead of them, the ranks of the storage specialists from around the country did rather well for a change, which was great to see.
Hugely deserving winner of the Storage/Refrigeration award was agronomist/storage specialist Tim Kitson - see Technical Insight (also read this PNT article on Tim's fightback after an horrendous injury in 2019), whilst other post-harvest victors included:
Prof Harry Duncan Hescott-Meredith Memorial Award
Crop Systems/ Environmental/Sustainability Award
Ray Andrews
James Pitman Best Young Achiever
And I was very humbled and extremely chuffed to have been awarded the British Potato Industry Award... My thanks to everyone for their support over almost 40 years working in storage - and counting...
BEST PRACTICE for December/January
Sprout suppression: try not to jump the gun!
If they haven't already, many crops are likely to need to be treated for the first time with a sprout suppressant.
We touched on this in last month's bulletin, but make sure you make regular inspections so that you can optimise the treatment timing, remembering to allow time to equalise temperatures beforehand. Hopefully most crops will have received maleic hydrazide, where appropriate, which by all accounts is offering good protection against early dormancy break in store this year, for most varieties.
Timing the first dose into store on crops already carrying some kind of treatment can be tricky, as even when there looks to be movement, it can very often just be a false alarm. Place selected tubers (green tubers can be good to get an early 'heads-up') in accessible locations close to the stack and watch them closely over a number of days to see if any movement is true or simply perceived.
Try to make samples as representative as possible of tubers around the store. Don't just focus on the easy-to-reach box inside the door; try to include any less well ventilated or maybe occasionally damp tubers in your assessment too.
Assuming you have then decided you may need to treat the crop, ensure there is BASIS-qualified sign off on the application from your advisor or NAAC contractor and organise the application. Fogged products available are DMN (1-4 Sight); orange oil (Argos) or spearmint oil (Biox-M).
Make sure you inspect crops before any break in inspections (eg for Christmas!). Some of the new toolbox of suppressants are less able to cope with excess sprouting so need to be used in as timely a manner as possible. Applications to badly-sprouted crops can result in excess weight loss and, worst case, in unwanted problems such as internal sprouting (below) in susceptible varieties.
Ensure crops are dry before application; use fans (without any cooling) to even out the temperatures for a good 12-24 hours before treatment, taking note of these general points:
Ensure the application point for fog is not stacked so tightly as to prevent fog movement away from the port.
Avoid high risk saturation of product [and liquid fallout] on to the crop, as this can result in scorch. This is also a risk if there is any condensation present on the crop.
If in doubt about the choice if product, seek specialist advice. Consideration must be given to product choice in relation to end market, unloading time and its suitability for the store being treated.
Remember these notes on ethylene use from last month's Synopsis:
In stores where ethylene is being used for sprout control, keep the store tightly closed to prevent loss of the gas (it is a very small molecule so is easily lost) and rely on a regulated flushing system - either manual or automatic - to manage the CO2 level. Remember ethylene is a plant hormone so try to manage its use carefully and gradually; a sudden surge is likely to elicit a very abrupt response from the crop, which is never a benefit.
If, after some Christmas reflection, you'd like to discuss how best to handle a particular sprout control challenge or get some advice on how your store management strategy can be optimised for next season, please call Adrian Cunnington at PSI on 07970 072260.
TECHNICAL INSIGHT
Condenser drying
Last month, I spotted this post on X from Tim Kitson at Potato Solutions:
Geek or otherwise, it reminded me about condenser drying. Achieving uniform, very high quality, effective drying in stored potatoes is crucial if any marginal crops are going to make it through a high-risk storage period. This season and, especially from early October onwards, has been a major test for all store managers as the crops have been wet and there has been no dry air, so it is interesting to see new approaches coming on stream in such testing times.
First developed with onions in mind, perhaps more than potatoes, there are a number of condenser drying options emerging on to the market which may be worthy of consideration if a new store upgrade is on the cards. And the controllers we now have allow you to stay in the driving seat...
In this instance, Tim's crop average is shown on his SmartStor in green, the damper position in blue and the duct temperature in yellow.
Condenser drying (CD) has developed as a novel method for drying produce. Normal drying techniques depend on weather conditions and yet time is generally of the essence if product quality is not to be compromised. Using a fridge to overcome the usual weather-dependency, it offers a very short drying time and, due to its use of reverse-cycle technology, can provide energy savings of up to 70% compared with conventional drying methods. CD typically has a large operating range of around -4 to 40°C where no heaters are required.
The system operates by sucking moist air through the evaporator which is therefore cooled, condensing and removing the moisture in the air. By reheating the cooled air (using heat released during the cooling process), the moisture is reabsorbed into the air.
The advantages of condenser-based drying include:
· Improved product quality
· Continuous drying process
· Energy-efficient drying, running entirely on electricity (could be solar)
· Drying is not weather dependent
Further reading:
Cunnington, A.C. (2023) Developments in Automated Potato Storage Management. Potato Research 66, 1305–1314
Fernando, A.J., Rosentrater, K.A. (2023) Optimal Designs of Air Source Heat Pump Dryers in Agro-food Processing Industry. Food Eng Rev 15, 261–275
STORAGE ON THE AGENDA FOR GB POTATOES EVENTS IN THE NEW YEAR
Meetings in Shropshire and Yorkshire planned
Following on from the SPot storage meeting a Wisbech hosted by GB Potatoes, storage specialist Adrian Cunnington of Potato Storage Insight has been invited to speak at two further workshop-style meetings being hosted by the developing organisation next month.
Dates are planned at Harper Adams University in Newport, Shropshire on Tuesday 23rd January and at the KP Club in Pocklington, E Yorkshire on Wednesday 24 January.
Full details and registration information are on the GB Potatoes website.
SNIPPETS
National Potato Innovation Centre consultation dates
It has been announced that there will be consultation meetings about the new National Potato Innovation Centre held on Mondays 5th (JHI Dundee), 12th (Sandburn Hall, York) and 19th (NIAB Cambridge) February. Book at Eventbrite.co.uk
CIPC residue data now being accepted
The CIPC Residues Management Group (CRMG) is the independent industry body now accepting data on residues of chlorpropham. These can be from any stores that were previously-treated with the chemical prior to its ban in 2020. If you can help provide residues, which are needed to meet a request from CRD to enable the new temporary MRL of 0.35 mg/kg to be supported, please provide your data. It will be submitted anonymously. Contact CRMG Chair, Adrian Cunnington in the first instance (or call 07970 072260) and he'll advise on how to easily get the data submission organised. See our October bulletin for full details.
First AGM of GB Potatoes held
December 7th was the date for the first annual general meeting of GB Potatoes after just over a year of operation. Chairman Mark Taylor reported on a first year where a lot of effort had to be put into establishing a suitable structure and governance for the organisation, but which has now seen the set up of key collaborative initiatives such as the memorandum of understanding with CUPGRA, the GB PCN Forum (with CUPGRA), the Water for Food Group, the Strategic Potato (SPot) Storage project and the Plant Protection Products Forum. GB Potatoes has also been instrumental in bringing the Potato Days planned for Lincoln on 4/5 September 2024 to the UK.
Further information about how to join GB Potatoes is available on their website.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Potato events in the coming weeks and months include:
January
Tue 23 GB Potatoes Regional Technical Meeting, Shropshire: details above.
Wed 24 GB Potatoes Regional Technical Meeting, Yorkshire: details above.
Wed 24 SACAPP Conference, Dundee
February
Mon 26
Wed 28 - Thu 29 PSI Potato Store Managers' Course, Boroughbridge, Yorkshire.
Includes option to take BASIS Crop Protection (Stored Potatoes) exam.
Full booking information now available.
BOOK NOW FOR EARLY BIRD PRICES - £50 off!
EB booking deadline is Monday 8th January.
Secure your place by emailing adrian@potatostorageinsight.com
May
Tue 14 GB Potatoes/PSI/SDF SPot Storage Day, south Lincolnshire.
Details to follow.
2024 International Potato Events
10-11 Jan POTATO EXPO, Austin, Texas, USA
23-25 Jan WASHINGTON/OREGON POTATO CONFERENCE, Kennewick, WA, USA
23-26 Jun WORLD POTATO CONGRESS, Adelaide, Australia
7-12 Jul EAPR 22nd TRIENNIAL CONFERENCE, Oslo, Norway
24-26 Nov INTERPOM '24 Kortrijk, Belgium
Remember you, or a colleague, can subscribe to Synopsis at any time by going to potatostorageinsight.com and clicking on SUBSCRIBE. We can also now take payments by credit card. Call Adrian on 01406 364795 or 07970 072260 if you have any questions.
Subscriptions: we issue invoices as individual subscribers reach the anniversary of their payment. A full year's subs is great value at just £9/month (£108 + VAT per annum), so please renew promptly. Unpaid subscriptions will be closed within 8 weeks of invoice issue. Thank you.
Finally, we look forward to seeing you all again in 2024. Happy New Year!
Synopsis is published by Potato Storage Insight Ltd., 45 Main Street, Gedney Dyke, Spalding, PE12 0AJ. UK.
© Potato Storage Insight Ltd. 2023
Comments